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PrintThe Saint Of Ice
With Christian Santelices' help, you can climb a frozen waterfall
Mattie Sheafor on the lower section of Dry Tool Wall.
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When people first started climbing mountains for adventure and challenge, it was often over a mix of rock and ice. Learning how to maneuver on ice became a necessity.
Today, ice climbing is a straight-up sport of its own. At the Teton Ice Park at Grand Targhee Resort, novices can learn the basics of moving up and down a vertical icefall, while experts can practice and perfect their technique.
The Teton Ice Park, which opened in December 2009, is the brainchild of Exum mountain guide Christian Santelices of Victor, Idaho. It took 60,000 gallons of water to create the cascades of ice; showerheads, fed by six hundred feet of pipe, trickle the water down to create the ice that covers cliffs forty feet high. Santelices operates the park under the auspices of his company Aerial Boundaries, which organizes custom outdoor adventures worldwide.
Santelices came up with the idea for the ice park about three years ago. It took some time and energy working out the logistics, including where the water would come from and what permitting would be necessary. The results are worth it, he says.
“Ice routes are really striking,” Santelices said. “When you see a big frozen waterfall, it’s pretty compelling … a beautiful line.”
The park offers a chance for ice-climbing newbies to try the sport with far less risk than they would face in the mountains, while still getting an introduction and a taste of the possibilities.
